Window Dressing
by Madances
Summary: early Season 1, this is my 2nd story, Charley was the 1st. I wondered why no one has written about Amanda's brothers. I would love feed back. Enjoy!


Window Dressing

Amanda sat at the breakfast table filling out employment forms, "former addresses, schools, now for family; parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, spouse, children. How far back do they want me to go?"

She worked for hours, they were a fairly close family and Aunt Cathy had worked up the family tree several years ago. It certainly made the task easier, "West, James Alan, brother, accountant; West, Charles Elliot, brother, M.I.A. Honduras, oh, Charley, I miss you! Now what is 'Medic's' full name. Miller, John Anthony, second cousin, Colonel U.S. Army; Anderson, David Wayne, second cousin, U.S. State Dept.; James, Adam Brian, uncle, attorney; Samuels, Caleb Michael, uncle-in-law, sheriff; Thomas, Lawrence Brenton, cousin, pilot; " ... 'I haven't seen 'Flight Deck' in years, I wonder if he will make the reunion this year; I wonder if I will make the reunion this year?'

Months later Amanda walked into the bullpen smiling broadly, speaking to everyone she passed in an extra happy manner. She stopped at the desk closest to the Section Chief's office. "I need to speak to Mr. Brown," she said to his secretary.

Mrs. Arnold replied, "I will see if he can spare a moment, Mrs. King." The woman stood up and knocked on the door. A few seconds later she ushered her into her boss's office.

Mr. Brown looked up from the file he was studying and asked, "what do you need? I am very busy right now."

Amanda answered, "my brother just came back from Honduras. I thought I should tell you and change his status in my personnel file ... and I need a couple of weeks off for a family reunion."

The temporary section chief wondered again what Billy Melrose saw in Amanda King. "I am glad your brother is back, but you need to go to personnel to change anything ... and I am sure that we can do without you for a couple of weeks," agreed Alvin Brown dismissing her.

Amanda walked out looking for Francine but she was not around. With Mr. Melrose on vacation and Scarecrow in Europe there was really no one else to tell. "Oh, Well," she though as she made her way to the personnel department to change her older brother's status from MIA to address Fort Benning, Georgia.

Scarecrow was scarcely listening as Amanda was rambling on about her family reunion. "Charley was the center of attention. Everyone was so glad that he is back in the states ..." she continued giving details while he scanned the room looking for his contact.

Lee suddenly interrupted her, "I will be back in a few minutes. Just mingle." He smiled as he walked off.

Amanda sighed, watched him stride across the dance floor and wondered what she should do now. She gave a slight smile to the blond man walking towards her.

After having successfully gotten his information, Lee turned around and looked for Amanda. "How does she do it? ... One of these days Billy is going to order me to take her to a party and tell her to mingle, then we will just arrest the man that she ends up with. Did she have to find Steve Garrett".

Amanda was dancing and appeared very comfortable following his lead. Spins, turns, and dips, she really was a good dancer; unfortunately she also attracted trouble. Lee stood at the edge of the dance floor surrounded by many other people watching the couple in the center. It could have been an exhibition dance from the way the crowd watched. He waited for her to rejoin him but two dances later Lee decided to go reclaim his 'date'.

Steve Garrett felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. Lee reached out and gently pulled Amanda to his side. "I hope you don't mind if I dance with her now," he smiled at the other man as he placed his right arm possessively around her waist.

Amanda looked from one man to the other. There appeared to be some kind of macho contest going on. "Thank you so much, I haven't danced like that in years," she said.

Garrett replied, "the pleasure was all mine. I'll call you tomorrow about dinner, ok?" He brought her hand up to place a kiss on it, then backed off with a smile of triumph in Lee's direction.

Our agent glared, took Amanda's hand leading her in to the waltz. He whispered fiercely, "you are going out with that guy? Do you have any idea who he is? How could you let him pick you up like that?"

Amanda stopped abruptly, pulling away from him. "How dare you lecture me? You have no right. This isn't a date. We don't have a personnel relationship. You have no right. I am going home!" she whispered back before she ran out of the room.

"A-man-da", he called after her. From across the ballroom Steve Garrett seemed to be mocking him. Lee turned on his heel and went after her. He exited the hotel in time to see her leaving in a taxi.

Lee squatted in the garden listening to Dotty's description of the day. "Jeff called and said that the family got home safely. Dean wants you to call him, he missed you while we were gone. Oh, and Charley called, as well, I left his number by the phone ... I think I will go to bed. Good night, darling."

"Good night, Mother," said her daughter.

Lee stood up to look in the kitchen window and saw Amanda dialing the phone. "Hi, Charley ... Mother said you called ... It was so good to see you ... Yes ... I'm sorry ... I'm fine ... really, I'm ok ... Alright, I'm not fine. I'm mad ... No, I don't want to tell you about it ... I'll get over it ... OK, ok, ... A friend took me with him to a party ... He left me alone for a little while ... A very nice man asked me to dance ... Yes, he was a very good dancer ... I don't know. It has been years since I danced with you ...." The conversation continued for a while, "yes, Charley. I do feel better ... love you, too. Good night."

Lee started the engine of his 'Porche' to head home. "What is it with her? Steve Garrett, of all people ... Dean and Jeff called but she called Charley back ..."

***********

The surveillance team watched as their suspect got out of his car and walked around the hood going to open the passenger door. A lovely brunette stepped out and accompanied him inside the club. Scarecrow groaned, "not again."

Dave asked, "couldn't we just put a wire on her?"

"I don't see how, she dropped the last one on the table," replied Lee.

Dave adjusted several knobs on the radio, holding the headset to one ear and said, "it would be a whole lot easier if they would stay at the table. They spend so much time on the dance floor that we miss most of the conversation."

"Doesn't matter, they don't talk much when they are dancing and Garrett does go back to the table when she goes to the Ladies room. His contacts seem to time it then," Lee observed.

Over the radio a conversation could be heard over the disco music. "Steve, same woman seven times in two weeks. Are you getting serious about this one?" asked a short, stocky man sporting a dark mustache.

Steve laughed, "no, she's just 'window dressing', but she enjoys dancing and it is a good reason to keep coming here. As long as we dance, no problems. Now what have you got for me?"

The men in the truck listened as the two men at the table talked quietly for several minutes. Suddenly Steve said, "I've got to go. She's back."

*****8

Steve gestured with his glass toward a man who entered the club. "Isn't that your date from the night we met?"

Amanda turned in her seat, "where?"

"Over there at the bar."

She looked and saw Lee, "why so it is."

Steve swallowed the beer in his mouth, "so who is he?"

"He's a client. I take care of his plants and fish. He's a film maker or something." Amanda turned her back on the bar and centered her attention to her date.

"How is your business doing?"

"It's growing. Mrs. Smith needs me to walk her dog everyday while Mr. Jason only needs me when he goes out of town. You know how it is. Different people need different things. Poor Mrs. Jayden can hardly get out of bed ..." Amanda rambled on about the people, pets and plants that she took care of as she tried not to look at Lee. 'I am not supposed to look at him when he is on a case. And he must be on a case or that girl would be here, too...Phyllis? Cindi? Laura? Sammi? Tami? Debbie? No, Judy, I think it's Judy this week.'

Lee wanted to get Amanda's attention but she didn't look at him. Finally he got a break when Steve danced by with her. Lee tipped his head toward the ladies room.

As the music ended, Amanda noticed Julio Davis hovering near their table again. She excused herself and threaded her way through the dancers, glancing back to see her date talking to Mr. Davis. Walking down the short hall to Lee, she demanded, "what are you doing here?"

"I want you to get out of here!"

"That's silly. What possible excuse could I use? I can't say that there is trouble at home. I can't just pick a fight with him. Do you want me to tell him that you have a sick fish? … How would you have found me to tell me and if you had tracked me down, why would you have waited for an hour and a half to tell me?" she asked.

Julio entered the hall in time to hear Mrs. King say, "I can schedule you in tomorrow after I walk Mrs. Smith's dog and Mrs. Jayden's cat is feed. Have a nice trip." Amanda smiled at both men as she walked passed and out into the club.

Lee felt the barrel of a pistol press against his back. "Let's go," said a voice he recognized.

"Where?", asked Stetson in a calm voice.

Julio gave him a push toward the back of the hallway.

The next morning Neal watched as Mrs. King came out of the door of the Smith house with a boxer on a leash. He had seen this same routine several times but Julio wanted it done again because of her conversation with the agent the night before.

Walk the dog for a half hour, to the Jayden house for anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour depending on what all she did, carry in the watering can and other stuff to several different houses and apartments. The Smith and Jayden homes were the only places she went everyday. The others changed daily. Neal sat in his car and watched, there was no point in going after her today. It was the same every time. Bor-ing!

Amanda took the key out of the potted plant beside Lee's apartment door and let herself in. "Lee, are you here?" After a swift look around as she watered the plants and feed the fish, she dialed the kitchen phone. "Mr. Melrose, please. It's Amanda King ... Hello, sir, where is Lee? ... He didn't meet me. … I couldn't call earlier. I have a tail ... Yes, I am sure he is following me ... Yes, sir ..." She hung up the phone, added water to her can and left the apartment. She slipped the key back into its place in the pot while she watered the hall plant.

Neal saw the King woman exit the apartment building, wave to the doorman and replace the plant stuff in the car before she drove home. Later that night, Steve Garrett picked her up to go to the nightclub.

Neal told Julio, "that woman leads the most boring life; mother, kids, and work. No wonder she likes to dance."

Amanda tried to behave naturally while she watched for an opportunity to find Lee. She noticed Julio motion for Steve to join him. When the song ended Steve suggested, "why don't you order us another glass of wine while I go down the hall for a moment?"

She nodded with a smile, then moved toward the bar. After several seconds she went after Garrett, as soon as she was out of site of the dancers she flattened herself against the wall and crept closer to the corner. She picked up the handset of the payphone while holding down the switch hook. With the handset held to one ear, she tried to listen to the conversation.

Suddenly a hand grabbed her from behind, he hung up the phone at the same time she was pushed forward and around the corner.

"Amanda, what is going on?" asked Steve, looking from her to Neal behind Her.

Mrs. King shook off Neal's hand and stepped closer to her date. "I was just going to check in with Mother. She hadn't been feeling just right although she insisted that I come have a good time."

Julio Davis directed, "bring her. It's to late now. She was talking to that agent last night."

Garrett opened the door to a janitorial closet and they all entered. He moved a bottle on a shelf, then pushed a box, causing the back wall to open silently.

Lee looked up as three men entered forcing Amanda in with them. "Lee ... Mr. Stetson ... What are you doing here? Oh, you have been hurt." She pulled away from her captor and rushed over to him. "How badly are you injured? Let me see ... Oh, that looks just awful ... I'll just get something to clean that up. There is a towel over by the sink."

All four men watched as the woman hurried from Lee to the counter, she grabbed the towel off the bar, dampened it, then hurried back, talking all the time. "Do you have a first aid kit? ... Hydrogen peroxide? gauze pads? cotton balls? anything?. No? ... Just be still and let me see about that."

"Amanda, I'm fine," protested Stetson.

"No, you aren't fine. Let me help you," she asserted.

Julio remarked, "women always seen to want to take care of the loser. Why is that?"

Neal replied, " she takes care of pets and plants, why not the underdog?"

Steve kept an eye on the woman as she tended the injured man talking all the time. "Let's get that jacket off ... oh, your poor ribs. Were you in a car accident? ... What did the doctor say? ... You didn't go to the doctor, did you? Why on earth would you be in a nightclub when you should be resting? You should be in bed!"

Garrett said, "let's go," he moved a bottle, then a box, followed by the door opening. The three men filed out closing the door behind them.

Scarecrow grasped her arms and pushed her gently away from him, "Amanda, stop. I'm fine."

"No, you aren't. Now let's get out of here," she handed him his jacket before going to the door. "Move the bottle, push the box, open door and out."

As they started up the hall to the club Lee said, "I want you to call Billy, tell him.."

Amanda interrupted him, "no, let's go. We already have back-up." She put her hand in his leading the way out. She joined a group of people walking to the door pulling Lee with her. It only took seconds and they were out, heading to a parked delivery truck. Quickly she guided them around it to the door. The door opened immediately allowing them to enter.

"Less than two minutes, very impressive escape, Mrs. King," said the agent who was still standing by the now closed door.

Another agent said, "let's get that shirt off, Scarecrow. I need to check you out before we go back in."

"Wait a minute here," he protested. "I have some bad guys to catch."

"We can't go in until closing time," responded the agent by the door. "Plenty of time."

"Yeah, to many people could get hurt. Now about that shirt."

Julio went to the back, looked around and entered the men's room, moments later he was out again. "I couldn't get in without it looking suspicious. Guy has his girl leaning against the door; making out like crazy." He looked at the other men and asked, "did you want me to tell them to move?"

Later. "Girl on the phone."

Later still. "Not yet. As soon as the place closes. It's not like they can go anywhere."

The agents were getting ready, "closing time."

"Amanda, stay out here," Stetson ordered before he ran across the parking lot.

She listened to the radio, "blue one, rear door secure,"

"Blue two, front door secure,"

"Blue three, side door secure."

She could hear fighting in the nightclub, shouts, running, furniture breaking, and the sound of blows struck.

Steve ran out the side door of the club, pulling his car keys out of his trouser pocket. Racing to his red sedan, he stopped to insert the key in the lock.

Scarecrow was only seconds behind him, grabbing his shoulder to spin him around and slamming his fist into Garrett's stomach. Amanda stood in the doorway of the truck watching the two men fighting, moving back and forth across the area. Punches, kicks, hits and throws; some landed, some did not.

Scarecrow hit the ground hard, putting his hand to his side, took a deep breath before getting up and looking around for Garrett. What he saw caused him to groan deep inside. Steve Garrett had an arm wrapped around Mrs. King's neck with the other hand pressed against the side of her face.

"Back off, Stetson. I could break her neck. I don't want to hurt her but I will. Just let us go and I will turn her loose when I get away".

Suddenly Amanda slumped in Garrett's arms pulling him off balance. He let go of her as she fell. Lee ran and launched himself at Steve Garrett knocking him to the pavement. Amanda scrambled to her feet and backed against the side of the truck as the men fought around her.

Scarecrow swung his fist into his opponent's jaw. He started to swing his other fist but someone grabbed his arm stopping him. "Stop it, he's had enough!" Two agents pulled Stetson off as a third one knelt beside the downed man.

"Ok., ok., let go," Lee said. He watched the agent on the ground checking over the defeated man. Without really thinking about it he stretched out a hand to the woman standing near. She stepped forward and put her hand in his.

Garrett noticed their clasped hands, but he asked, "how did you manage to get out of the secret room?"

Scarecrow smiled and told him, "your 'window dressing' got us out, all by herself".

"She's an agent?" Steve ask incredulously.

Lee shook his head, "nope, she's a civilian!"

"Window dressing? His window dressing?" Amanda questioned in an irate tone. "I was his 'window dressing' ?"

Stetson led her over to the surveillance truck. " 'Window dressing' never worked so well. You really did an excellent job. I am so proud of you."

She smiled shyly, "thank you".

Dave walked up and said, "I need your pendant. I'll get it back to you in a few minutes."

"Sure...here".

Dave slapped his hand into Scarecrow's stomach and said, "all we had to do was find was the right piece of jewelry".

Mrs. King noticed Lee flinch when Dave popped him, "Dave, hand me that first aid kit. How badly have you been hurt now?"

"I'm fine ... It was taken care of earlier, remember? ... I'm ok."

Amanda was scolding him again as she patted the laceration on his cheek gently with a gauze pad. "It doesn't look to bad but your poor knuckles ..."

Across the parking lot, Steve Garrett was surrounded by two agents, four policemen and a team of paramedics who were preparing him for transport to the nearest hospital. He watched as Amanda fussed over the minor injuries of Lee Stetson. She never spared a glance in his direction, focusing only on the agent.

Scarecrow's eyes meet the eyes of Garrett and he nodded his head toward the woman intent on taking care of him. The self-satisfied smile on his face said it all. "She did not take care of the underdog, she took care of those she cared about."

Steve Garrett gave one nod of his head before being loaded in the ambulance.

End


End file.
